kscarbel2

It seems to me there is no way that all of these protests, happening nationwide simultaneously, couldn't have been organized within four days of the event in grassroots fashion. I suspect the protests were organized.

Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT) / June 1, 2020 Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) is recalling approximately 2,987 model-year 2019-2021 Western Star 4700 and 5700 vehicles. A particular wire in the ground harness may be undersized, possibly resulting in a melted connector in the ground circuit harness, according to the recall. If the connector becomes damaged, under certain circumstances, the engine may stall without the ability to restart. DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ground harness, free of charge. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at (800) 547-0712. This recall is expected to begin July 16, 2020. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-852.

The dramatization of it all by CNN makes me hate the post Ted Turner news organization even more (if that is at all possible). News should only be a reporting of facts, without opinion. Opinions are reserved for editorials.

Ryder severs exclusive hydrogen electric truck partnership with Nikola Jason Cannon, Commercial Carrier Journal (CCJ) / May 31, 2020 Ryder System and Nikola Corporation announced Friday the termination of their more than three-year-long exclusive partnership on Nikola’s forthcoming hydrogen electric semis. Ryder in late 2016 inked a deal to serve as the exclusive distribution and maintenance provider for Nikola Motor Company (NMC), which unlocked Ryder’s North American network of more than 800 service locations to lessors and owners of Nikola tractors. That deal has been mutually called off, enabling both companies “to explore emerging opportunities within the rapidly growing commercial transportation industry,” Nikola said via release last week. “As the market evolves, each of us are now free to expand our operations to other partners,” said Nikola Corporation CEO Trevor Milton, “something the previous agreement did not allow us to do. We look forward to finding ways to continue to work with Ryder in the future as a customer and have found them to be a great partner.” Milton said his company will now be working with “major truck dealerships” to sell and service Nikola trucks. Nikola this week expects to complete a merger with VectoIQ Acquisition Corp., a publicly-traded “special purpose acquisition company” [????], that once closed will see the hydrogen and battery electric truck maker listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the ticker NKLA. Milton will serve as Executive Chairman of the combined company.

The rear suspension appears to be a 4-leaf Volvo RADD-TR1 with Volvo planetary hub reduction axles (26 tonne RTH2610F or 32 tonne RTH3210F?).

Bloomberg / May 30, 2020 One farm in Tennessee distributed Covid-19 tests to all of its workers after an employee came down with the virus. It turned out that every single one of its roughly 200 employees had been infected. In New Jersey, more than 50 workers had the virus at a farm in Gloucester County, adding to nearly 60 who fell ill in neighboring Salem County. Washington state’s Yakima County, an agricultural area that produces apples, cherries, pears and most of the nation’s hops, has the highest per capita infection rate of any county on the West Coast. The outbreaks underscore the latest pandemic threat to food supply: Farm workers are getting sick and spreading the illness just as the U.S. heads into the peak of the summer produce season. In all likelihood, the cases will keep climbing as more than half a million seasonal employees crowd onto buses to move among farms across the country and get housed together in cramped bunkhouse-style dormitories. The early outbreaks are already starting to draw comparisons to the infections that plunged the U.S. meat industry into crisis over the past few months. Analysts and experts are warning that thousands of farm workers are vulnerable to contracting the disease. Aside from the most immediate concern -- the grave danger that farmhands face -- the outbreaks could also create labor shortages at the worst possible time. Produce crops such as berries have a short life span, with only a couple of weeks during which they can be harvested. If a farm doesn’t have enough workers to collect crops in that window, they’re done for the season and the fruit will rot. A spike in virus cases among workers may mean shortages of some fruits and vegetables at the grocery store, along with higher prices. “We’re watching very, very nervously -- the agricultural harvest season is only starting now,” said Michael Dale, executive director of the Northwest Workers’ Justice Project in Portland, Oregon, and a lawyer who has represented farm workers for 40 years. “I don’t think we’re ready. I don’t think we’re prepared.” Unlike grain crops that rely on machinery, America’s fruits and vegetables are mostly picked and packed by hand, in long shifts out in the open -- a typically undesirable job in major economies. So the position typically goes to immigrants, who make up about three quarters of U.S. farm workers. A workforce of seasonal migrants travels across the nation, following harvest patterns. Most come from Mexico and Latin America through key entry points like southern California, and go further by bus, often for hours, sometimes for days. There are as many as 2.7 million hired farm workers in the U.S., including migrant, seasonal, year-round and guest-program workers, according to the Migrant Clinicians Network. While many migrants have their permanent residence in the U.S., moving from location to location during the warmer months, others enter through the federal H2A visa program. Still, roughly half of hired crop farm workers lack legal immigration status, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

City of Tulsa, IC Bus Announce New 20-Year Agreement For Bus Manufacturing Plant TULSA, Oklahoma, May 28, 2020 -- The City of Tulsa, Mayor G.T. Bynum and IC Bus announced that a new 20-year agreement has been reached to keep the IC Bus school bus manufacturing facility at Tulsa International Airport. The new agreement builds on the City's efforts to grow and expand its economic base of manufacturing operations. "This agreement establishes a win-win partnership between the City of Tulsa and IC Bus for decades to come," Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum said. "The industry leader in school bus manufacturing will have a home to build products that are trusted all around the world, while local jobs are secured and the taxpayers' facility is properly maintained for the long term. I am excited for the future of IC Bus in Tulsa." The nearly mile-long, 1-million-square-foot plant is the world's leading producer of school buses. Bus production is currently at its peak, and approximately 75 vehicles are typically produced daily. "We'd like to thank Mayor Bynum for his personal involvement in resolving these negotiations," said Phil Christman, president of Operations for Navistar International Corporation, the parent company of IC Bus. "Thanks to his leadership, we have a decades-long framework to stay, invest and grow the IC Bus plant and our supply chain in Tulsa and the state of Oklahoma. Tulsa is a great community with a talented workforce. We're very pleased to be remaining in Tulsa, and look forward to keeping it what it is today – the school bus capital of the world." Mayor Bynum's agreement with IC Bus retains the following economic benefits in Tulsa for years to come: More than 1,600 men and women have careers manufacturing and assembling the safest, most technologically advanced school buses ever made. Manufacturing jobs provide economic opportunity and stable careers for Tulsa families, and the IC Bus plant provides annual direct income of more than $60 million annually. The average team member has worked at the plant for 6.5 years. The IC Bus plant spends $750 million each year on vendors and suppliers, including more than 100 Oklahoma-based businesses. An IC Bus supplier, IMMI, is building a 45,000-square-foot greenfield manufacturing plant, specializing in the manufacturing of seating systems, in Tulsa to support the assembly of school buses at the IC Bus Plant. The new lease prioritizes current and long-term investments in plant maintenance and improvements and creates an automatic process for establishing a multi-year investment program every 5-years of the lease.

Ford Trucks International / May 27, 2020 F-MAX’s smart connected vehicle technology: ConnecTruck Save time and money with Cloud-Computing technology that collects driver and vehicle data. #SharingTheLoad #ConnecTruck #FordTrucks

Excellent !

VW board OKs Ford alliance projects Jan Schwartz and Paul Lienert, Reuters / May 28, 2020 Among the shared projects specified by VW are a midsize pickup to be developed by Ford, a city delivery van to be developed by VW and a new electric vehicle for Ford of Europe, to be built on VW's EV architecture. FRANKFURT -- Volkswagen said Thursday its supervisory board had approved several projects in a multibillion-dollar alliance with Ford Motor that was first announced in July. The German automaker said various contracts between the two companies were nearing completion and would be signed soon. Among the shared projects specified by VW are a midsize pickup to be developed by Ford; a city delivery van to be developed by VW; a larger commercial van to be developed by Ford, and a new electric vehicle for Ford of Europe, to be built on VW's electric vehicle architecture. Regarding official approval of the agreements, a Ford spokesman said Thursday, "We look forward to jointly providing an update soon." VW's statement said "further projects are to follow, as is the investment in Argo AI," the self-driving software company backed by Ford and which eventually will be jointly controlled with VW. VW's planned $3.1 billion investment in Argo "remains on track and is expected to close soon," Argo said on Thursday.

But Hino, lackluster here in the past, is coming on strong over the last decade gaining massive market share.

As I've said before, all political parties should be banned. Clearly, they only serve to convolute government. Elected government officials should "only" represent their constituencies*..........and nothing else.......such as a political party. Representing the wills of political parties is not in their job description, nor in the interest of their constituencies . * Constituency - a body of voters in a specified area who elect a representative to a legislative body.

Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT) / May 27, 2020 Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America announced it is discontinuing new truck sales. The move is a result of a re-evaluation by Daimler subsidiary Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp. of its business situation in the United States and Canada. Going forward, the company will only provide service in these markets. Truck sales will continue until remaining stock, both dealership inventory and MFTA inventory is gone and there are no additional new Fuso trucks to retail. MFTA plans for Fuso customers in the U.S. and Canada to remain supported through an authorized Fuso service network for warranty repairs, maintenance services, and replacement parts until 2028. MFTA will continue to support the eCanter all-electric trucks that are in operation in the United States under the terms of each customer’s respective special lease. Customers such as J.B. Hunt and A. Duie Pyle have been testing the electric eCanters in last-mile delivery fleets. The intention is to have current Fuso dealerships in the United States and Canada remain operational, and for new vehicle sales locations to have the option of continuing to retail available truck stock for a period of time. MFTA plans to re-align its organizational focus towards service operations in the coming months, and to work with its U.S. and Canadian dealer partners to transition sales dealerships into parts and service-dedicated locations. The company plans to maintain its headquarters in Logan Township, New Jersey, along with its parts distribution and technical training centers, while continuing to employ a majority of its employees in the near term. MFTA, part of Daimler Trucks Asia, celebrated its 35th anniversary in the United States earlier this year. The corporate office was founded in Logan Township in 1985, where it resides today. In late 2019 the company started shipments of the Fuso FE180 Gas truck, marking the start of sales for the gasoline-powered cabover Class 5 work truck. “Working with Fuso dealers, we have developed a strong team throughout the United States and Canada that always places the customer first,” said Justin Palmer, president and CEO, Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America. “MFTA is fully dedicated to making this transition a smooth one for our customers, and we remain committed in supporting a parts and service network for many years to come.”

Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT) / May 26, 2020 Enhancements to the Detroit DD15 engine, combined with an expanded lineup of the DT12 automated manual transmission, have resulted in improved fuel economy, performance and durability, according to the company. The DT12 transmission has evolved into the DT12 On-Highway Series to offer three purpose-built options to meet the unique needs of various on-highway applications, all of which are now available to order: the DT12-HE, DT12-H, and DT12-HL. The DD15 Gen 5 engine has also been updated and engineered to improve efficiency for the Freightliner Cascadia, and it will be available for January 2021 truck builds. The new DT12 Transmission Lineup The all-new DT12-HE transmission option offers higher overall ratios for improved downspeeding and an improved oil system design, both contributing to increased efficiency. It will debut with Cascadia production beginning in early 2021, with additional model applications to be announced soon. The DT12-HL is a lightweight carry-over option intended for weight-sensitive applications. The DT12-H is a revised designation that retains the same characteristics of the previous DT12. Both the DT12-H and DT12-HL are currently available for order in Cascadia builds. The Detroit DD15 Generation 5 engine The new DD15 Gen 5 engine includes increased downspeeding, improved combustion, and a new swirl piston design. A combination of almost 50% new componentry and fine-tuning by Detroit’s engineers results in up to a 3% improvement in fuel efficiency from propulsion alone, according to the company. A new ball bearing simple geometry turbocharger reduces friction and allows peak power and torque to be reached faster in the Cascadia. Peak horsepower is now reached at 1,500 rpm versus the prior generation’s 1,625 rpm, and peak torque is achieved at 900 rpm versus 1,075 rpm. Modified inlet ports in engine cylinders and a new piston bowl shape combine to create a swirl effect that creates a fuel spray pattern for better atomization. Along with an ultra-high compression ratio, the new swirl design piston makes combustion cleaner and more efficient than the previous generation of the DD15. A new EPA GHG21-compliant aftertreatment system for the DD15 Gen 5 debuts a smaller unit design to reduce weight by more than 60 pounds while increasing nitrous oxide conversion and, dependent on duty cycle, allowing increased diesel particulate filter service intervals. The DD15 Gen 5 also debuts ThermoCoasting, a new feature that prevents aftertreatment cool=down during a driving regen to keep the keep the system at the optimum temperature. To accomplish this, ThermoCoasting will engage engine brakes when necessary between 900 and 1,500 rpm while the engine mimics coasting by maintaining zero torque at the flywheel to balance power delivery.

Canadian government orders 10 million face masks from GM Greg Layson, Automotive News / May 26, 2020 General Motors Canada says employees at its factory in Oshawa, Ontario, will manufacture 10 million masks over the next year for the government of Canada. Production began Tuesday. GM Canada originally announced in late April that it would use its idled assembly plant to make face masks for health care workers battling the COVID-19 pandemic. The automaker said Tuesday that it will manufacture the face masks at cost for the Public Health Agency of Canada. Minister of Public Services and Procurement Anita Anand said the agreement ensures “a steady and reliable domestic supply of this vital equipment.” David Paterson, vice president of corporate and environmental affairs at GM Canada, would only say that the price was “very competitive” and that the automaker could offer an “assured supply” of masks, and do so quickly. Paterson said the world is scrambling to manufacture personal protective equipment and that Canada alone will need an estimated three billion masks per year. “The most valuable thing we offer is a guaranteed source of material,” he said. Mask making in Oshawa is based on the process GM is using at its plant in Warren, Mich., that began a month before the work in Ontario. Paterson said the automaker has no plans to make masks for its own employees, saying the Oshawa-made masks will be “100 percent for Canadians.” “We already have other sources for face masks [for GM Canada],” he said. “We have our PPE requirements covered for Canada.” It’s all part of the automaker’s global supply chain. GM Canada President Scott Bell called the deal with the federal government “one of the proudest moments in our history.” The company said it received its medical device establishment license on April 22. Over the course of a little more than three weeks, and with support from GM’s global supply chain, the company sourced materials, built a ‘Canadian Mask Making (CMM)’ clean room with enhanced safety protocols, installed the required equipment and recalled and trained 60 workers for two shifts of production in Oshawa in partnership with Unifor. “Unifor members in Oshawa are highly skilled and proud to help GM make whatever our country needs to get through this pandemic,” Unifor President Jerry Dias said in the same statement. The modern Oshawa assembly plant that produced its last vehicle on Dec. 19 dates back to 1953 and has produced everything from the Chevrolet Bel Air to the Chevrolet Silverado. The plant has been reduced to a stamping operation, building parts for discontinued models, although GM Canada said that work had not started yet. However, until the pandemic struck, it had been stamping parts for the CAMI plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, where the automaker builds the Chevrolet Equinox. The parts program gives the Oshawa plant a lease on life, albeit one that employs just 300 or so people, instead of the 2,600 that had been assembling cars and trucks for years. Each aftermarket part produced there will be built for 10 years.

Ford throws lifeline to suppliers facing cash crunch Keith Naughton, Bloomberg / May 21, 2020 The automaker is helping keep key component suppliers afloat by paying invoices early. Ford plans eventually to expand the program to other manufacturers across its supply base. DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co. is helping some of its suppliers survive a cash crunch by paying its bills early to ensure that critically needed parts keep flowing to its auto factories. The Detroit 3 are restarting production after shutting down for two months to slow the spread of the coronavirus. That has caused a cash-flow crisis at many suppliers that don’t have deep capital reserves. Ford burned through $8 billion in the first three months of the year, but it has built up a substantial cash pile by suspending its dividend, drawing down its credit lines and selling junk bonds. Now it is helping keep key component suppliers afloat by paying invoices early. “In light of current market conditions, Ford is creating an early-payment program for our supply base,” Jennifer Flake, a company spokeswoman, said in an emailed statement. “This new voluntary program creates access to cash flow and working capital to Ford suppliers.” The automaker, which is projecting a $5 billion operating loss for the second quarter, said it is making these early payments to a small group of key suppliers it declined to identify. The company plans eventually to expand the program to other manufacturers across its supply base, Flake said.

That is a beast. Thanks for posting.

You're right.

Congratulations and appreciation to Jim Kirkwood and Statewide Concrete Pumping who just received their brand new dual-steer Autocar ACX84 with a mounted Schwing America 46M Concrete Pump in Columbus, Ohio. All Autocar products include factory-direct technical support from our Autocar Solutions Team for life. Always Up - Autocar Trucks .

Yes.

Ford plant worker tested positive for Coronavirus, sending thousands of factory workers home early after second day open CBS Chicago / May 20, 2020 Chicago’s Ford assembly plant sent thousands of workers home early on Wednesday only two days after reopening because an employee tested positive for the novel Coronavirus. The unexpected dismissal came after Ford reopened Monday. Production was set to resume Tuesday night. Ford had implemented temperature checks, installed social distancing reminders and redesigned work stations for safety. Ford said the company has been cleaning and disinfecting all areas that the ill employee might have touched. “I’m worried right now,” said employee Timothy Shy. “This is the second day, and we are already hearing about this. Production was temporarily halted at part of the facility and the main plant. “Social distancing doesn’t really work,” said employee Billy Cowart. There are changes from the social distancing reminders outside to temperature checks and re-configured work stations inside. Ford provided a video highlighting some of the updated health changes COVID has brought along to their plants “All these people are crowded and on top of each other,” said Michael Hopper while wearing his Ford issued face mask. “I lost a brother to Coronavirus May 6th,” Hopper said. Hopper along with others describes an experience inside the plant that doesn’t sound or look like the polished video. “I cleaned my own workstation myself,” said Hopper. “How our jobs are set-up, if one person gets in the hole that would affect the person behind him.”